Of political butterflies and election spoilers

A few days before the crucial May 9 polls, a number of traditional politicians have shown their true colors. They have defected from the apparent losers to the presumptive winners. It is now the open season for political turncoatism while some opportunists are playing the roles of spoilers, hoping to steal the scene from the emerging victors. Both the turncoats and the spoilers are the opportunists and can be classified as the worst specie among the many dangerous political animals. Well, in a nation without any strong party system, anything and everything can happen, all for political expediency and convenience.

Aside from the Garcias in Cebu, who, without much rhyme nor reason, shifted from Vice President Jejomar Binay to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, when it was becoming clear that the political star of the candidate from Makati was falling down, there are many others who executed an electoral somersault. The Remullas of Cavite, led by incumbent Governor Jonvic Remulla, have jumped ship from UNA of Vice President Binay to PDP of Mayor Duterte. Even LDP's former Senator Ed Angara, the political titan of Baler, Quezon, together with his incumbent senator son, has jumped to the bandwagon of Mayor Duterte. I know of many other local politicians, grappling for survival, who have shifted to Mayor Digong. Shame, shame, shame.

Well, they say, that politics is all addition and the candidate would not refuse an entire clan joining his bandwagon. But the question that bothers us is what kind of principles do these political butterflies have to justify such a draconian move. The same is true to the other parties.

Governor Joey Salceda of Albay who used to worship GMA, his former professor, shifted to PNoy, his former classmate. But a few weeks ago, he just left PNoy and Mar Roxas, without batting an eyelash, to join the group of Grace Poe. There are a lot who are leaving the LP since they could smell defeat for Mar. Even Duterte's nemesis, former speaker Prospero Nograles of Davao is now for Mayor Digong.

While turncoatism is in season, many spoilers, on the other hand, are also on the loose. People like Senator Trillanes who seems to accept his poor showing as a virtual lost cause. To make themselves relevant, they are now making a lot of noises acting as virtual crabs who are pulling down the presumptive winner. This is one senator who seems to define being in the Senate, as the vantage point to act as pseudo-Ombudsman. But Trillanes, like his senior PMA brod Honasan, is a virtual goner. He can never win the vice-presidency. The people seem to reject his brand of politics, the politics of destruction and character assassination.

Then, there is this guy from Ormoc, former commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, one of the last GMA appointees, who now keeps on making criticisms against the Comelec, the very institution where he comes from. He complained of the planned mall voting which led to the scrapping of the same. He now makes a lot of objections to the Comelec resolutions outlining the procedures for the canvassing and proclamation of both the local and national candidates. If this guy has delicadeza, he should give a little respect to the Chairman. If he has brilliant ideas, he should send a confidential memo to the commission. What is he up to in trying to embarrass the incumbent officials? Is he trying to get the attention of the next administration? Or is he just a plain demagogue like Trillanes?